Reflections
by MisfitKitten
Summary: An unexpected guest forces SEES to reexamine their interpersonal relationships.
1. Prologue: Her Eyes

October 16, 2009

Afternoon

It had been nearly two weeks since Shinji died.

A pall hung over the dorm as Akihiko slumped up the front steps, forcing the door to let him in. Luckily, the living room was as quiet and gloomy as he was. If he was fast enough in the kitchen, he could grab his shake and make it to his room before anyone spotted him. He knew Mitsuru wouldn't be home for a while if she could help it.

He really didn't want to face Mitsuru right now.

All month long, people had been _looking_ at him. Pity, sympathy, empathy, even a bit of fear as to what a guy who lost his brother-in-all-but-name might be thinking of doing. The other members of SEES weren't exempt; Akihiko would often catch their lingering glances out of the corner of his eye as he hastily left whatever room they were in. They never looked him in the eye anymore, as if his pain was hurting them in turn. When they spoke, they left humongous pauses where the words they wanted to say but couldn't were supposed to go. Ken would actually leave the room completely because he was convinced Akihiko couldn't bear to see him. Sometimes, he was right.

But Mitsuru was the worst, because deep down, he knew she was the only one who had any idea what what was going on in his head. When Mitsuru _looked_ at him...she saw. Those captivating eyes were full of sadness, uncertainty, hesitation – emotions alien to them, and it was just _**wrong**_. Mitsuru's eyes were powerful. Fiery. When Akihiko needed a reminder of his strength, they reflected it back at him. If he'd pissed her off, they burned with the intensity of her anger, even while she maintained a cool tone of voice. It might snow over Mt. Fuji, but deep within that icy mountain was a hidden core of lava.

He needed that now more than ever. Needed a picture of his better self instead of a current reflection. He was grieving, but Mitsuru couldn't grieve for him because those eyes did not deserve to be diluted by tears. As long as they were a deep, vibrant red it meant both their hearts were still pumping life through their veins.

Shinji was gone...but Akihiko might be able to make it if he could just hide in Mitsuru's eyes.


	2. Chapter 1

October 16, 2009

Evening

Shinji's death would've been easier to take if Akihiko didn't swear he was still hearing him nag all the time.

 _ **Look at you. You're a fuckin' mess. When was the last time you showered?**_

 _Can't drown myself. Doesn't work._

 _ **Kirijo's not gonna like you stinking up the place.**_

 _She let you, didn't she?_

 _ **Tch.**_ Akihiko could put as many pillows over his head as he liked – he couldn't block out his beanie-hatted conscience. **_So I suppose you're gonna flunk out of school now?_**

 _What? I took the exams._

 _ **Only 'cause you'd get your ass beat if you didn't.**_

Throwing the pillow at the wall wouldn't shut him up, either. _What the hell do you want from me, Shinji?_

 _ **GET OFF YOUR DEAD ASS, AKI.**_

 _MY dead ass?_ That actually got a chuckle out of Akihiko, and he laughed until he cried.

* * *

All Akihiko wanted to do tonight was wallow in grief, but some kind of commotion downstairs was slowly beginning to irritate him to the point of getting up. He hated being a grouchy old man, but he didn't have much else left in him at this point.

The front door was open and people were hovering on the doorstep. Koromaru was running in and out of the dorm, whining piteously and apparently trying to get anyone to follow him. He saw Akihiko and assumed he'd have a better chance with someone who wasn't currently arguing, grabbing his pant leg and jerking him towards the door. Aigis was at the lab getting some work done, but they didn't need a translator to see that Koro wanted the hell out of something outside.

"Senpai's not gonna like this!"

"But what else can we do? It's not right to just leave it out here!"

"I think we should call the police."

So they found something that'd piss Mitsuru off. That...didn't really narrow it down. Had someone sprayed graffiti on the dorm? Dammit, now Akihiko had to quickly run interference for something he probably couldn't care less about to protect the juniors. Five people and a dog all shouting at her at the same time would just make Mitsuru execute first and ask questions later. She seemed unnaturally stressed lately, and it couldn't have been exams – Akihiko would've bet all of his money that she'd aced them. A better friend would have approached her, asked about it. _Guess I'm a shitty friend to everyone lately._

Akihiko emerged from the dorm just in time for a Kirijo limousine to drive up, depositing Mitsuru and Aigis on the curb and in the middle of everything.

"Oh. Is everyone waiting for us?" Aigis asked innocently.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Mitsuru demanded. She looked toward Akihiko who had no answers for her and could only shrug in response.

"Senpai, look!" As predicted, the onslaught began.

"What are we supposed to do?"

" **I** said we should bring it inside, but of course, Stupei here..."

They would have kept going had another voice not added itself to the mix. An unfamiliar voice...crying.

"Waaaahhh!"

Akihiko took the stairs two at a time and nearly dove into the bushes. Below him were two Lost victims, young adults maybe a few years older than him, and one infant carrier – containing a slightly terrified infant.

* * *

" **You** look!"

"No!"

This poor kid had the misfortune of having the world's worst rescue team. While Mitsuru frantically called anyone she could think of, the others brought the baby inside and just sort of looked at it while Akihiko had the presence of mind to check the carrier for supplies. Fortunately, one of the first things he found was a pacifier, which mollified the baby somewhat. Now if only they had some for Yukari and Junpei.

"I don't wanna touch it!" Junpei was saying. "I don't know anything about babies!" The baby looked over at his outburst, and he took a step backward, acting as if he was going to catch something.

"Well, we can't keep calling it 'it'!" argued Yukari. "There's no names on any of this stuff, so the only way we're gonna find out if the baby's a boy or a girl is taking off the diaper."

"I-I don't think we should disturb anything, Yukari-chan." Fuuka was slowly rocking the carrier, hoping to lull the baby to sleep. "The baby doesn't know us."

"But someone might be looking for them. We need to know who the baby belongs to."

"There wasn't any ID on either of the parents – if they even were the parents." said Akihiko. Something about this was bothering him. He didn't really remember much, but when Miki was taken out for the day, she had a bag full of things like diapers, clothes, toys, bottles, pacifiers...and Akihiko was sometimes tasked with carrying it. These people had nothing. Where were they planning on going?

Aigis had been peering at the baby with her head cocked, the same way Koromaru got when he was curious about something. "It is quite peculiar that this small child would be immune to the affects of Apathy Syndrome when others around him had succumbed." she declared.

Makoto hadn't said much – not that _**that**_ was odd in any way – but when he finally did have something to say, it turned out to be incredibly thought-provoking. "Maybe the kid has Potential?"

This not only stopped the conversation dead, but got Mitsuru off the phone. "That's impossible." she insisted. "No child this young has an ego."

"We don't even know how old the kid is."

This was a good point, but Mitsuru hated being contradicted, and so Akihiko quickly stepped in before she could get upset. "What did the police say?"

Mitsuru sighed. "No one has reported a missing child. Kurosawa is willing to file a report, but in order to do so, he needs information that we don't have." She was holding her arm and looking pensive; Akihiko guessed that she'd been interrogated by whoever she was on the phone with. "I've scheduled an appointment with a pediatrician for tomorrow. Kurosawa thinks the child will be safer here tonight. Someone will be by with supplies later, but again," they all turned to the happily cooing baby trying to get the dog's attention, "we still need to know the gender."

No one else wanted to move. _They fight demons, but they can't touch a diaper? Well, that settles it, I guess. "_ All right," said Akihiko, moving over to the baby and removing its blanket.

"Ahgahbabaga?" it said.

"Tell me about it."

The others were shocked. "Okay, I did **not** see that coming." deadpanned Yukari.

Junpei backed even farther away. "Ugh, Senpai, are you seriously gonna touch that thing?"

Mitsuru, on the other hand, had actually moved closer, and she studied Akihiko with an entirely new look in her eyes. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah." Akihiko shrugged as he examined the little outfit for buttons or fasteners. "I used to help my mother with Miki when she was a baby." As he opened the diaper, he stopped, chuckled, and refastened it. "Of course...Miki was a girl."


	3. Chapter 2

With the report filed, and the box of baby gear acquired, the rest of SEES began sizing up their new tenant.

"Now what do we do with him?" asked Ken.

Akihiko had already picked the baby up, and he seemed very curious about his new caregiver. He liked the texture of Akihiko's sweater, undid his tie, and was apparently telling him his life story in baby babbles (Aigis admitted she had no clue what the baby was saying). Up close, Akihiko could see that he had light, wispy hair, but his eyes were a dark, dark chestnut.

"He certainly likes you." Mitsuru noticed. She had the strangest look in her eyes; she was looking right at Akihiko, but she didn't seem focused. A hint of a smile appeared on her lips.

"Yeah...this is weird." said Yukari. "If you'd asked me yesterday which one of us I thought would be the best with babies, I certainly wouldn't have said Akihiko-senpai!"

"Why don't you hold him?" Akihiko asked her.

"Wha-ME?"

"What's the matter, Yuka-tan? Don't you like boys drooling over you?" teased Junpei.

"Well, he **is** cuter than you, Stupei!" Yukari took the baby from Akihiko and it didn't take long before she began to change her mind. "Aww, at least he's a happy little guy!"

"Better you than me." Junpei sighed, flopping down on the couch.

"So, what are you going to do if Chidori decides she wants to have kids?" Yukari teased back. The look on Junpei's face indicated he hadn't thought of that possibility.

"Let's not think about Junpei breeding." Makoto said, and the others laughed.

"Yayayadblph!" said the baby, smiling at all his new, laughing friends.

Junpei was nonplussed. "What, you too?"

Koromaru took the opportunity to sniff the baby, and was rewarded with overjoyed squeals and drool-covered grabby hands. He whined, shook, and went to hide behind Ken's legs.

"I don't think Koromaru cares for the baby." said Ken, petting him reassuringly.

"You want to go next?" Yukari asked him.

"No, that's okay."

"Are you feeling a little jealous, Ken-kun?" Fuuka was watching him stroke Koromaru absently.

Ken sat up straight. "Of course not! That's...that's a childish emotion!"

"Your turn, Fuuka!" Yukari plunked the baby down on Fuuka's lap before she could object.

Both Fuuka and the baby made the exact same face at this turn of events. "Am I doing this wrong?"

"Well, you haven't dropped him, so no, you're not doing it wrong." Akihiko had taken the opportunity to duck into the kitchen, and he returned shaking something. Mitsuru was about to lecture him until she realized it was the formula and one of the bottles the Kirijo staff had brought them.

"Wow," Makoto was compelled to actually say something, "you're really taking this all in stride."

"Evidently, years of protein shakes have prepared you for this moment." added Mitsuru, whose continued smile was almost as rare as Makoto stringing eight words together.

"Baaaa!" The baby got so excited at seeing the bottle that he flailed his arms and legs, nearly causing Fuuka to actually drop him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I-I don't think I'm going to be the one to feed him." Yukari had leapt up as soon as her arms were empty, so Fuuka turned to the boys sitting next to her with the most piteous look she could manage.

Makoto took the baby from her, but couldn't resist quipping, "This is not what I signed up for." Fortunately, the baby did most of the work.

"I wonder how old he is." mused Yukari.

"They'll most likely determine that tomorrow." Mitsuru explained. "I'll admit, I'm not sure what they'll be looking for. Let's hope he still as cheerful after a visit to the doctor." A look passed over her face...a memory?

Akihiko knew that Mitsuru wasn't fond of hospitals, but she didn't really like to talk about it. "I can go with you if you want." he offered – though he wasn't sure if it was for her sake or the baby's.

Mitsuru blushed and looked away. "Thank you, but-"

"Really, I don't mind!"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "I assume you've considered the implications of the two of us being seen in public with a small child?"

It took a while, but something clicked in Akihiko's brain. "Oh, yeah..." His rabid, vapid fangirls always seemed to be around the corner whenever Akihiko tried to talk to a girl. They seemed to be afraid of Mitsuru for some reason, though. But even they couldn't be _that_ stupid...could they?

A noise interrupted his thoughts. The baby was regurgitating...onto Junpei. "BLAAAHH!" Junpei wailed. "Oh, GROSS!" Now the baby was crying, Yukari was laughing, Koromaru was whining and no one seemed to be helping.

"You forgot to burp him." Akihiko took the soggy child from Makoto.

"You didn't tell me to burp him." Makoto replied.

"Are you all right, Junpei-kun?" Leave it to Fuuka to ameliorate.

Junpei was pouting more than the baby. "What the hell is that? It smells horrible!"

"Iori!" Mitsuru admonished him. "Don't curse like that in front of the baby!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, little baby, please forgive me and my pukey pants!" Junpei took off to go change.

Aigis was examining the couch where Junpei sat, and actually stuck her hand in the puddle. "It appears to be predominantly skim milk, whey protein hydrolysate, taurine, l-carnitine, ascorbic acid, tocopherol concentrate, monoglycerides, soy oil, corn syrup, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, cyanocobalmin, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, beta-carotene..."

Koromaru nosed Aigis impatiently as Ken added, "That's great, Aigis, but we really don't care."

"...potassium, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, choline, pyridoxine hydrochloride..."

"Can you stop analyzing it and start cleaning it up?" whined Yukari, shoving Aigis' hand out of the way with a paper towel.

Akihiko could feel Mitsuru's eyes on him as he changed the baby into something dry. _I'm about to do something_ really _stupid, Shinji. Might end up seeing you sooner than later._ He picked up the discarded bottle and hesitantly approached Mitsuru. "Will you take him?" Mitsuru blanched, and then the cutest thing happened.

"Aahbababl?" the baby said, and reached out to Mitsuru. The girls aww-ed.

"You know, I don't believe I've ever held a baby before." Mitsuru said while the baby made a liar out of her, happily snuggling in her arms. They smiled at one another. "How sweet."

Now it was Akihiko's turn to gaze unfocused at the sight before him. _It certainly is._

Yukari scoffed as Junpei could be heard coming back down the stairs. "Yet **another** thing Mitsuru-senpai manages to do perfectly the first time."

Junpei smirked as he added, "Two words, dude: Marin. Karin."

"That doesn't even work half the time, Junpei." said Makoto. Sure it didn't, but Akihiko couldn't believe he'd actually say that in front of Mitsuru.

And Mitsuru had unfortunately heard them. "If you're implying that I would abuse my power for something inappropriate, Iori..."

Makoto smirked. "You should execute him, Senpai." Mitsuru was about to agree until she realized what he was also implying.

 _Jesus Christ, Makoto, do you have a death wish, too?_

They were saved from an icy fate by Ikutsuki walking in the door. "Hello, everyone! I heard we have a visitor. Oh, there he is!"

The bottle fell out of the baby's mouth, and he froze. "AAAAHHHHH!" Something sure freaked the kid out, because he was now climbing his way up Mitsuru's shoulder, his little hands clinging to her arm.

"What happened?" Mitsuru could only look at Akihiko as everything came crashing down around them.

"I don't know! Something pinching him? Maybe there's a pin left in the suit." Mitsuru's hair was dangerously in the way, and Akihiko initially reached for it until he realized what he was about to do. He opted to take the screaming baby's hand away instead. But the baby didn't even want Akihiko anymore. He continued to wail and hide on Mitsuru. Tears were streaming down his face.

"He only started crying when Ikutsuki-san came in!" Ken shouted over the commotion, his hands over his ears. Yeah, that **was** weird. He'd never even heard the Chairman's horrendous idea of "jokes" before.

"He's shaking! I don't think he's been pinched." Mitsuru got up and began taking the baby toward the stairs. "Mr. Chairman, perhaps you should wait here until the baby calms down."

As Akihiko grabbed the carrier and baby paraphernalia, he heard Ikutsuki chuckle to himself. "Well, that's a "crying" shame, isn't it?"

* * *

Upstairs, Mitsuru seemed to be looking for a room to stick the baby in. She lingered for a moment on the second floor...but continued up the stairs instead, in search of a vacant room.

Akihiko tried to hide his weird sense of disappointment. "You sure you don't want me to go with you tomorrow?" he said instead.

"I believe I can handle it." Mitsuru replied. The baby had calmed down considerably; with Mitsuru massaging his back, he stopped crying and only fretted occasionally. "He seems much better now, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I don't get why he was so scared of Ikutsuki. He didn't even do anything to him."

Mitsuru had that pensive look on her face again as she put the baby in the carrier. "I have extra blankets." she said suddenly, running out of the room.

Both boys could only stare after her. "What was that about? Huh?" Akihiko asked the baby as he stuck the carrier on the empty bed, rocking it. The baby had nothing to add as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

From the look on Yukari's face as they came back down, Ikutsuki had been torturing the others with puns the entire time.

"Ah! So, how's our little Nanashi?" Up close, Ikutsuki's grin **was** kind of scary. Perhaps the baby was onto something.

"We are NOT calling him that!" Mitsuru said adamantly.

"Every third kid at the orphanage was "Nanashi" added Akihiko. "It got so bad, we had to start giving everyone nicknames." One of the few things Akihiko and Miki had besides the clothes on their backs were the names they knew they each had. It gave them a sort of cold comfort on nights when things seemed hopeless. _I am not "some kid nobody wanted". I am Akihiko Sanada._ Having no home or parents was bad enough. Having no identity? That was the worst.

Ikutsuki was undeterred. "I merely wondered. It's not every day you find yourself becoming honorary parents." He turned to Mitsuru. "Speaking of which, Mitsuru, your father wants an update on the...er...situation."

Mitsuru gave him one of her strongest glares, but she could only hold it for a few seconds before turning away. Something was wrong. "The situation has not changed, Mr. Chairman." she said coolly.

Ikutsuki actually sighed. _Disappointed in Mitsuru? She's your prize race horse!_ "Very well. I must be off now."

"Wow, I'm glad **that's** over." said Yukari as he left. "So, Senpai, what was that the Chairman was talking about-"

"Nothing!" Mitsuru quickly cut Yukari off before she could pry any further. "I-it's nothing that concerns you."

"Oh, it's not _**relevant**_?"

It was killing Akihiko to be in the dark, too, but Yukari had a nasty habit of airing Mitsuru's dirty laundry in public and then complaining about the smell. He stepped up beside Mitsuru and tried to pull off his best glare – switching to a pleading look so it wouldn't look like he also knew this big secret and was complicit in hiding it (not again, anyway).

"No," said Mitsuru softly, "it isn't." That pretty much killed the conversation in its tracks.

"SO!" Junpei vanquished the lull. "Tartarus, anybody?"

"Yeah, I'm game." said Makoto.

Fuuka looked at her phone. "Oh,is it that time already?" The others started walking off, readying their weapons, stockpiling healing items. Halfway through the prep, the lights went out.

Aigis was the first one to realize the unspoken problem. "Are we taking the child with us?"

Everyone stared at each other. "I'll admit, I hadn't thought about that." said Mitsuru. "I don't think we can guarantee his safety in Tartarus, though."

Akihiko had been heading towards the stairs without realizing it. "Someone wanna stay here with him?"

"That might be a better solution." agreed Mitsuru.

As Akihiko headed up the stairs, he heard Ken saying, "He wouldn't be awake now, anyway, would he?"

 _Oh, shit._

 _Oh, no._

Akihiko broke into a run, and behind him, Mitsuru had realized just a few seconds too late and was trying to catch up. "AKIHIKO, WAIT!"

* * *

She didn't quite make it.

"It's all right." she said, both for Akihiko and herself, "It's only...it's only for an hour. He's fine. Come on, let's go for-for now." He wasn't moving. Mitsuru cleared her throat, but her voice was still shaky instead of authoritative. "Akihiko, come with me...Akihiko?"

He felt her hand on his arm, knew she was trying to keep it together for his sake, but Akihiko could only stare wordlessly at the child-sized coffin in front of them.


	4. Chapter 3

October 19. 2009

Evening

"Waaah!"

Doors flew open throughout the dorm. "Baby's up! Who's turn is it?"

In general, SEES had gotten much better at babysitting. Akihiko had taught them everything he knew about feeding and changing – which admittedly, wasn't much, but the fact that he knew anything at all still threw them for a loop.

Mitsuru had surprised him the most. Having grown up with nannies and governesses, no one expected her to be so hands-on, but there she was, actually changing diapers and somehow managing to avoid being drooled on. Most of the time, it was usually one of them taking care of the baby – the hilarity of which Akihiko was acutely aware of. He could just imagine Shinji looking down from wherever he was, laughing his ass off at Gekkoukan's boxing captain with a spit rag over his shoulder while Mitsuru handed him a kid.

Shinji was silent now; Akihiko could sleep regularly again...until the baby started crying. Most mornings, he managed to sneak out for a run and return in time to mix up a shake and a bottle (and make sure he drank the RIGHT one!). The dorm was filled with laughter and activity, and Akihiko actually felt like taking part in it.

Except for right now, though. As the baby's cries echoed down the hall, Akihiko grudgingly put down his gloves and went to see who was on duty.

"Oh, come on, I changed him last time!" Yukari could be heard complaining.

"Well, I fed 'em last time...and he puked on me again." said Junpei as he and Ken came up the stairs.

Ever the pragmatist, Ken suggested, "Perhaps we need a chart to keep track of whose turn it is."

"Waaa-aah?" The baby was no doubt wondering if everyone had left for the night.

"What's going on?" Mitsuru suddenly called from within her room. "Is anyone checking on the baby?"

"We don't know whose turn it is." Fuuka explained. Makoto appeared from behind her, silently, sure to freak her out once she realized he was there.

"You realize if you let him cry much longer, that-"

"AWOOOOO!"

Koromaru was next in line, running up and down the stairs and adding to the din. Aigis emerged from her room. "Koro-chan says, he does not have thumbs, so someone had better decide which one of you is going."

"Yeah, I'm going," said Akihiko.

"Akihiko, no! You always take care of him while everyone else is off indulging themselves. I'm tired of it!" Mitsuru's voice managed to stop him in his tracks even from behind her door. "There are eight people in this dorm, and it's high time each and every one of them shows a little more responsibility for our situation."

"Waaah!"

"And what's wrong with **you**?" There went Yukari, making this about class warfare again!

Mitsuru sounded funny. "Well, if you must know, I've just gotten out of the shower."

Ah. Mitsuru always took her sweet time getting dressed after a shower. Apparently, the heat would sap her energy or something She must only have a towel on now.

A memory came to Akihiko unwillingly: Mitsuru, fresh from the shower...wearing only a towel tucked tantalizingly around her bosom...walking towards him with a soft, sultry look in her eyes...

"EWWW! UGH, SENPAI, GROSS!"

Yukari's shriek and accompanying smack brought Akihiko out of the love hotel and back into reality. Something warm was trickling down his face.

"Oh!" gasped Fuuka. She ran off to her room.

"What is WRONG WITH YOU? Oh, you are so SICK! I really thought you were better than PERVERTS like Stupei!"

"Ow, ow! I'b sowwy! Yukawy, stob! Wha da hell?" Akihiko was holding his nose as more blood than he'd lost in his last match continued to drip. Fuuka had not run off morbidly embarrassed; she returned from her room with some tissues for him.

"Ha ha!" Junpei laughed. "Akihiko-senpai knows all about what happens after a shower, huh?"

Akihiko's fist reacted faster than his brain. "Sut ub, Jubei!"

"Ah. Is this the fabled nosebleed of arousal that Junpei-kun was telling me about?" Aigis had the worst damn timing ever – especially for someone with an internal clock. "I comprehend."

"I'm not old enough for this conversation." Ken muttered.

When Mitsuru finally opened her door, having thrown on a robe that thankfully covered her enough, she found Akihiko with a bloody nose, Junpei with a black eye, and Ken with a red face. "What insanity is this? I can't turn my back on you for a minute! You are high school students, and you can't even manage one small child!" Then she stopped. "Why isn't he crying anymore?"

A new sound came from the baby's room – a giggle. When they ran to investigate, they found him sitting in the carrier squealing with delight at-

"Is that a pixie?" asked Fuuka.

The miniature fairy flew around the room and then disappeared into Makoto's head.

"Decarabia!" he said, and something resembling a starfish appeared.

"Ooh!" said the baby as he tried to reach for it.

"You're...you're summoning Personas to entertain the baby?" Mitsuru was flabbergasted, and Akihiko found himself wishing he'd thought of it first when he caught the look she was giving Makoto.

"He likes it." Makoto said simply. "Look. Jack Frost!" A white Persona in a jester hat materialized and tickled the baby's nose. The baby kicked his feet enthusiastically. "Here comes Mothman!" said Makoto, and the baby almost tipped over the carrier in his excitement.

"Aww, that is the cutest thing!" Yukari squeed.

"I didn't know we could do that outside of the Dark Hour." Junpei suddenly realized. He turned to Mitsuru. "How come you didn't tell us we could do that?"

She shrugged. "You never asked."

"Mitsuru-senpai not telling us something?" Yukari mock-gasped. "What are the odds of _**that**_ happening? Next you'll be telling us Akihiko-senpai likes to punch things."

"No, I **know** that's a fact!" Junpei moaned as he tried to see Yukari out of his swollen eye.

"Well," Mitsuru blatantly ignored them, "I'll leave the baby to you, then, Yuki." She sauntered out of the room, but not before giving Akihiko a strange look.

Akihiko just stared at the floor, wishing he could summon a hole to crawl into.


	5. Chapter 4

October 20, 2009

Afternoon

Despite Mitsuru's complaints, the juniors (bar Aigis) somehow still managed to leave the babysitting to the seniors. In spite of the front he put on, Akihiko didn't really care. At least responsible people were looking after the little guy, and the baby liked him. Akihiko couldn't deny that he liked the baby, too...and he liked having another excuse to talk to Mitsuru. He still hadn't found out what was bothering her and disappointing Ikutsuki, though. Admitting Yukari was right was the last thing Akihiko wanted to do, but he knew that Mitsuru took most everything in stride. If she was troubled about something, it had to be big. He was thinking about this as he walked down the stairs, and he nearly missed a step as he emerged onto the most surreal scene going on in the living room.

Mitsuru was walking the floor with the baby, and she was singing to him. It must have been in French, because he didn't understand the words themselves, but the song seemed equal parts sad and touching. Akihiko didn't dare move. He stood transfixed by this beautiful sight before him. It stirred something in him...something he didn't think actually existed.

He waited until she had put the baby down in the little bassinet they'd finally found time to put together before approaching. "I'd applaud, but it'd wake him up."

Yukari would have shrieked, Fuuka would have hit the ceiling, but Mitsuru only froze for a moment, too dignified for fear. One shaky breath later: "How long have you been standing there?"

"A few bars."

She chuckled. Akihiko had always liked that little chuckle.

"Officer Kurosawa called earlier today."

Akihiko perked up. "Any word on his parents?" He still hated calling them that, for some reason.

"They still don't appear to match any of the people reported missing, and there are no medical records anywhere." Mitsuru frowned at a rattle with a smiling clown face on it. "If they were from out of town, that could make the search for his relatives almost impossible."

Akihiko could only shake his head. "Who brings their baby out of town without diapers, though?"

The baby made a noise, and both seniors immediately dashed to the bassinet at the same time. They managed to share an embarrassed laugh.

"In case you were wondering," Mitsuru began as she started picking up toys in order to avoid Akihiko's eye, "the song is just something I remember hearing as a child. It's about the freedom to dream of having all kinds of adventures...because when you awake, you'll be safe at home." The haunted look in her eyes as they watched the baby sleep was sadder than the song. "I hope he feels safe here."

"It certainly looked like he felt safe with you. You're a natural."

Mitsuru blushed, but it quickly turned into a pained expression as she replied, "I suppose I'll have to get used to it sooner rather than later."

"Huh?"

Mitsuru took a deep breath and put on her "business casual" voice, the one guaranteed to convince someone who didn't know her that everything was fine. "Have you ever thought about having children, Akihiko?"

 _I did on the stairs just now._ "Once or twice, I guess." He watched as she picked up the same stuffed animal and put it down three different times.

"Even now?"

Akihiko gathered up all the stuffed animals and dumped them into a box, hoping to remove all the distractions. "I'm not following."

Mitsuru didn't answer him right away. Instead, she turned to the clock. "Only a few hours left until the Dark Hour." Neither of them wanted a front row seat to a baby coffin again.

"C'mon, we're not doing so bad. We've only got one big Shadow left, and then the Dark Hour should end, right?"

"And what if it doesn't?" With all of the soft objects out of the way, Mitsuru could only wring her hands. "What kind of world is this, to bring a child into? A world where Apathy Syndrome runs rampant?" It was like Mitsuru had suddenly changed into someone else. Where was this coming from? "There are more Lost victims every day. How many of them were parents? What's going to happen to **their** children? Will they be forced to live on the streets, like Strega, and-" She covered her mouth with her hands as she realized what she was about to say.

 _Like Shinji. Say it._

Mitsuru seemed to have used up all her allotted emotions for the week in that one outburst, and had gone back to being almost as robotic as Aigis. She found something else to straighten and make orderly. Something she could control. "Who could possibly think of getting married and having children at a time like this?"

The pieces began to fit together, and the overall image was not very appealing. "Is this what Ikutsuki was hassling you about the other day?"

"As the only heir to the Kirijo Group, it falls to me to perpetuate the family bloodline and secure its future." Mitsuru spoke as if she were reciting a speech some old blowhard in a suit gave her over and over.

"You're 18! You've got time!"

"Father has already gone to great lengths to persuade the Group to let me finish high school as it is." Mitsuru insisted.

Okay, this was bullshit. Mitsuru had the brightest future out of all of them. She could go to any college she wanted in any country she wanted and do **whatever** the hell she wanted to do with her life – and they expected her to sit around popping out babies? Mitsuru could run that company by herself with one hand tied behind her back...blindfolded! She deserved a better life than being a broodmare.

"I know what you're thinking," said Mitsuru, still refusing to look at him, "but Father has promised me that he wouldn't marry me off to just anyone."

More pieces clicked into place: Mitsuru having "meetings" she'd refused to tell anyone about, meetings she'd return from with drooping shoulders and dead eyes. Phone calls she had to leave the room to take. Conversations with Ikutsuki that stopped whenever he entered the room.

"You really don't want to know what I'm thinking right now." Akihiko managed to snarl, his throat suddenly tight.

She did look at him, then – her eyes huge and trembling. Damn, he'd been too harsh. He wanted to be a shoulder for her to lean on, but instead he was just a fist. Was that all he'd ever be?

"I'm sorry, I...I'm not happy about it, either."

He had to try again. "If that's the case, I would think you'd wanna screw up so badly they wouldn't trust you with a plant, never mind a kid."

"Unfortunately, I've never been able to do anything in half-measures." Mitsuru sighed. "Besides, it's not his fault." She turned away, and Akihiko barely caught the last part. "Or yours."

Suddenly, Akihiko had a hundred different things he wanted to say. Before he could even attempt to start, the door opened and the moment killers arrived. Yukari and Junpei didn't even pause their apparently heated argument to acknowledge anyone else's presence – including the sleeping baby, who was now awake and crying. Mitsuru sighed again, and went to rock the baby back to sleep.

"No, I've got him." Akihiko stopped her. Trying to keep things light, he chuckled. "You don't have to learn it all in one day."

Mitsuru chose instead to go lecture the loudmouths. As she walked away, she was just able to catch Akihiko talking to the baby. "So she charmed you, too, huh?"

She nearly missed a step.


	6. Interlude 1 - Sanada Squee Squad

"Did you see him?!"

Akihiko Sanada was super, super popular at Gekkoukan High School. After all, he was cute, brooding, and the captain of the boxing team. Every girl wanted to be the one walking by his side after school. But the only girl Sanada-senpai had eyes for was Kirijo-senpai.

Every afternoon, Senpai's biggest fans waited outside for him to arrive - hopefully alone. If he wasn't with her, he was talking to those second-year guys, the quiet transfer student and that dorky Iori-kun. Manami had reported that he had another friend who didn't come to school anymore, he was a bum or something. But that friend had died last week. Probably drugs or gangs. Yui heard through the grapevine that this guy was hanging out with that Nyx cult. Sanada-senpai was friends with a cultist? No way! He was acting all sad this week, though. He must need someone to comfort him.

Finally, they spotted him! "Ooh, Sanada-senpai!" He was alone!

But...he wasn't stopping. He waved at the bunch of available pretty girls who would love to lavish attention on him and left school in a hurry. He's so mysterious! Yui started to cry, because she just bought a new hairband and she really though this would net her a date with Senpai for sure.

Kirijo-senpai is leaving school right away, too. What's up with that? She usually stays in the Student Council room all afternoon writing speeches about how great she is. Keiko and Manami saw her with the transfer student the other day. I wonder if Sanada-senpai knows about that? What a bitch! She just has to have every available guy, doesn't she? Poor Sanada-senpai will be so crushed when he hears about this..and he will hear about it. It's just a matter of who will be the first to break it to him and then offer him their number so he can pour his heart out to them.

Well, Sanada-senpai's fanclub wasn't gonna just sit there and take this anymore! They decided to stalk him. Not just him - Kirijo-senpai, too. They can't hide forever.


	7. Chapter 5

October 21, 2009

Evening

Akihiko found himself looking forward to getting home from school and caring for the baby. It was weird, but it felt nice being needed by someone. When Shinji died, he was so fixated on "getting stronger" that he'd voluntarily lost himself in his job as SEES' fist. It was the only thing he couldn't screw up. Opening that fist and doing something good with his hands was something he hadn't considered.

The other members of the boxing team didn't appreciate Introspective Akihiko and his open hands. They saw their captain stop training incessantly until he dropped, and failing to dodge a punch which cost them a win. Damn, he'd forgotten to be a fist here. Luckily, one of the other third years assumed he was still upset about Shinji, and Akihiko let him think he was right. He ended up treating them all to beef bowls to make it up to them, but spent the entire time feeling guilty for sticking Mitsuru with the baby.

It was fairly late by the time Akihiko returned to the dorm. Everyone was in the living room, doing their usual things to kill time before the Dark Hour. Junpei was telling another one of his ghost stories that only managed to scare Yukari. Fuuka seemed to like them, while Ken more than likely had "no time for childish things like that" (also, Featherman was coming on.). But Akihiko's attention was immediately drawn to the center of the room and its new changing table.

The baby was talking a blue streak to Mitsuru as she was putting one of those whimsical outfits on him. "Babldabbabababagaga."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Dadadapblayayablblblb!

"Well! I had no idea!"

"Nonono?"

"Exactly."

"Not talking about me, I hope?" Akihiko could no longer resist chiming in, even if his presence caused the baby to kick so much that Mitsuru had to struggle with the suit's snaps.

"Haaaaa! Agplablaabbb!"

"Someone," Mitsuru's accusatory tone was undercut by the smirk on her face, "discovered how to take his bottle apart today."

"Yabadababa!"

"It most certainly **was** you!"

From across the room, Junpei chimed in. "But it wasn't on ME this time! Ha ha!"

"Aigis wouldn't tell us what she heard Mitsuru-san saying." said Ken.

"I hope she doesn't tell my father, either." said Mitsuru, and Akihiko couldn't hold his laughter in anymore.

"Shame on you, Senpai," Junpei didn't miss the opportunity to tease Mitsuru, "swearing in front of the baby."

"I'm almost certain he doesn't understand a word of French!" Mitsuru protested.

"If he hangs out with you long enough, he might." said Akihiko. "It certainly worked for me. Hell, after a while, even Shinji was starting to speak it!"

Everyone froze. No one had dared mention Shinjiro since he died, not even when they were sure Akihiko wasn't around. Ken immediately shrunk into the couch, the hand clutching the remote control shaking slightly. The only person not reacting with apprehension was the baby, who had no clue why everyone was suddenly quiet.

Akihiko didn't realize what he'd said at first, and then the cold reality hit him square in the face. When was the last time he'd spoken that word out loud, and when did something so natural as his best friend's name become so awkward and forbidding?

Mitsuru's eyes were misty again as she struggled to say something – everyone's mother whether she liked it or not. "Akihiko..."

"Ak...ko!"

"Was that – did you hear that?" The baby just spoke! Akihiko almost immediately forgot his previous mood and practically skipped over to the baby's changing table. "He just said my name! Did you hear him?" The melancholy mood broke, and everyone began cooing at the baby.

"Could it be that there's someone in this dorm who actually listens to me?" Mitsuru scooped up the baby and tickled him. "What a clever little boy! Are you trying to cheer up Akihiko? Where is Akihiko?" She held him out in Akihiko's general direction.

"Akko!" The baby went happily to his favorite person.

"That is so cute, I can't stand it!" Yukari squealed.

"He's just mimicking what Mitsuru-san said." said Ken's inner 11-yr-old.

Makoto decided to reward them all with another sentence. "Well, at least he's not mimicking Junpei."

"Harsh, dude." Junpei replied, but no one took any notice.

Akihiko was teasing the baby by tipping him towards Mitsuru, and then moving him away at the last minute, resulting in one giggly baby and one hair-guarding Mitsuru. "Get Mitsuru! Get her!"

"I don't think we even need to be here right now." observed Makoto. He might have been right; anyone peering through the dorm's windows would have though they were observing a young family playing before bed.

Akihiko stopped mid-swing. "Well, maybe if you'd watch him every once in a while, he'd know your name, too." The baby was practically swimming in his arms. "Whoa! Where do you think you're going?"

He wasn't done playing yet. "Soowoo!" Now everyone was laughing...

...well, except for Soowoo Mitsuru. "Really?"

Tartarus had been fairly quiet that night. The field team found several missing people, but nothing of note happened and everyone agreed to call it a night after a few floors. When they returned to the dorm, they were surprised to find a gleaming coffin waiting for them in the living room.

"Uhh, that wasn't here when we left, was it?" Junpei voiced what everyone was thinking.

The clock struck midnight, and the lights came up to reveal a startled Kurosawa, pen and paper in hand.

Mitsuru quickly put her rapier with the suspicious gunk on it down. "Officer Kurosawa!"

"Wh-you kids are-when did you get here?" To say he was confused was putting it lightly. "There was no one here a minute ago...I was leaving you a note...do I want to know?"

"Let's assume you don't for now." Mitsuru reassured him.

"Is this about the baby?" asked Akihiko. As if on cue, the baby chose to cry at that exact moment, and Akihiko went to get him.

Kurosawa watched with a wistful look on his face. "You kids sure took to this babysitting thing. Anyway, yeah, we finally managed to identify the adults he was found with."

"You mean his parents?" Aigis asked.

"That's the strange part." Kurosawa decided to wait for Akihiko to return before continuing.

Akihiko was going to happily declare that the baby had learned how to wave, until he saw Mitsuru's face and immediately started worrying.

The baby decided to show off his new skill, anyway. "Haaa..." This new stranger wasn't smiling, and he made his friend Akko stiffen up.

"We've been going about this the wrong way the whole time." Kurosawa began. "Instead of trying to match the adults, it turns out we should have been trying to identify the baby."

The baby in question was getting very uncomfortable with a tense Akihiko and started fussing. He promptly decided he needed a change in location. "Ehh...Soowoo..."

"This little guy here," continued Kurosawa, giving Mitsuru a strange look but ultimately deciding not to comment on it, "is the latest addition to the Ishikawa family, from just outside Osaka."

"Ah, no wonder he sounds funny." muttered Junpei.

"And the two people he was found with?" prompted Mitsuru. She didn't seem to notice that the baby had one finger precariously placed on her hair. Akihiko held his breath.

"The woman was apparently his nurse. From what we could gather, there were complications during the birth, and so the baby needed full-time care. He's got a very rare blood type, which makes transfusions difficult...but in this case, it turned out to be just the detail we needed."

"Why'd they take him?" Yukari asked, and Akihiko was incredibly curious about the answer. A sick baby, with no food or supplies, all the way from Osaka?

"Can't say for sure. Maybe some dispute about payment? I'll be heading out there to talk to the parents tomorrow – actually, make that later today." Kurosawa looked at his now-working watch. "What I need from you is a current picture of the kid so we can prove he's all right."

"Well, how about that, buddy?" Akihiko went over and removed the baby's hand from Mitsuru's hair under the guise of patting him on the back. "You've got a family after all."

They should have been happy. This was a happy resolution, wasn't it? So why did Mitsuru immediately pass the baby to him and mutter something about not wanting to be identified in photos before running upstairs?

"Uh...you mind taking him?" Akihiko could only pass the baby off to Kurosawa. He had a feeling Mitsuru needed him more. "Go ahead and take that picture. He, uh...he'll smile if you rub his face." And he was off.

Both Kurosawa and the baby watched him leave uneasily. "What a strange place for you to end up in, huh?" The baby just gurgled and, failing to find hair, grabbed the next best thing. "That's my hat, son."


	8. Interlude 2 - Squee Squad Paternity Prob

What's going on with our senpai? I have to admit, I'm curious, too.

After yesterday, Manami came up with a plan. We've been staking out Sanada-senpai's dorm for hours now. It's cold, and the gross zombie people are creepy, but nobody noticed us, so Manami's idea was a good one!

The curtains are open on the dorm's windows, so we can see everything that goes on in the living room. It's kind of weird that the only people living in this dorm are the ones in Kirijo-senpai's exclusive club. What do they even do? They have both the transfer students (the blue-haired guy and that weird foreigner), a dork like Iori-kun (so it can't be a club for eggheads), and Yamagishi-chan, who's just weird, plus, everyone who makes fun of her collapses. Then there's some little kid living there! I think that's against the rules.

Kirijo-senpai came home first. There's some maid she's talking to, and now she's...talking to the furniture? No...there's something else there, a bed or a...

Oh.

My.

God.

It's a baby in a crib.

 **Kirijo-senpai has a baby!?**

Miss Always-Follow-the-Rules Student Council President had sex with someone?

Wow, I never would have suspected that from her of all people! She seems so cold and snotty. But it's got to be her baby, because everyone else came home, but they didn't take it from her. When the hell did she have a baby? She was never out of school, and she is like, so thin! Keiko thinks she doesn't eat or she purges or something.

Sanada-senpai hasn't come home yet. He was at boxing practice – I know this because Yui kept complaining that we missed it. Does he know about this? Is he just hanging out with her because he feels sorry for her? Wow, what a prince!

Here he comes. He really should have been home by now – Kirijo-senpai's gonna chew him out for being out of her sight for so long.

Wait a minute...

 _ **IS HE THE FATHER?!**_

Everyone's always thought that they were a couple. Sanada-senpai won't go out with anyone else. Neither will Kirijo-senpai.

He took the baby. He...he looks so happy to be holding it. Now they're playing with the baby. Yui is crying again...and so are Manami and Keiko.

I cannot believe it. The creepy Nyx people were right. It's the end of the world.


	9. Chapter 6

October 22nd, 2009

Kurosawa left the dorm with several pictures of alleged Baby Ishikawa, and the blanket that had been in the carrier, in case it looked familiar. So far, there had been no news, and everyone was on edge. To make matters worse, the maid that Mitsuru usually had over to watch the baby while SEES was in school hadn't shown up that morning. Akihiko wanted to stay home with the baby, but Mitsuru overruled him and stayed home instead. She claimed it was because she had the best grades and could afford to miss a day, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

Akihiko couldn't even concentrate. What will the baby's parents think, finding out their son was taken in by a bunch of high school students? Have they been looking for him this entire time, or had they given him up for dead? How long had his nurse and the other guy been on the run with him?

What if the baby doesn't remember his real parents, and he's unhappy and scared to be with them? Do they know he can hold his own bottle? That he won't sleep without his blue giraffe? Did they know he has teeth coming in? Will they rock him, bounce him, play "dive-bomb" with him?

It wasn't until school was nearly over that Akihiko received one terse text message: _Kurosawa has returned._ He almost ran over some first years in his hurry to get home.

Akihiko beat the others back to the dorm this time, and this afforded him the opportunity to sit with Mitsuru and the baby. He hadn't realized how much he'd gotten used to hearing little giggles and gurgles every time the baby caught a glimpse of him.

"Akko! Yayayayaya. Abababa."

"I know, I know. Your bottle and mine, coming right up." Even the baby had their routine down cold. "So, what'd he say?"

Mitsuru was stress-cleaning again, which was never a good sign. "They'll be here in about two hours." she sighed.

"Wh- **they**?"

It probably shouldn't have surprised Akihiko as much as it did. Of course responsible parents would want to come and get their child as soon as they could. He tried to imagine for a moment what he would do if it were his son, his child missing for weeks who was suddenly found. The answer was obvious. No power on Earth would stop him from personally reuniting his family.

"It's been almost a month since the abduction." Mitsuru continued. She spoke as if she didn't want the baby to hear, which would have probably been funny if they weren't both depressed. "They're bank managers – well, at least one of them is. This is their first child, and they were so upset about his condition that they didn't think to check references when hiring a nanny." A scowl ruined her face. "Although I'm sure that woman neglected to mention that she was infertile."

 _And certifiably insane._ Akihiko mentally added as he absentmindedly went to take a sip...of the baby's bottle, until Mitsuru took the bottle out of his hands and replaced it with his shaker.

"So...this is it, huh?"

"This is it."

They both watched the baby obliviously enjoying his afternoon snack, too afraid to meet the other's eyes. He'd be gone soon; back home with his rightful family, and the dorm would be back to its random events and craziness with occasional bouts of silence. Silence was always how Akihiko and Mitsuru related to one another. It was one of the reasons Akihiko preferred her company to the chatterboxes at school, who never shut up aside from the occasional breath. You didn't _**need**_ to talk non-stop if you already knew what the other person was thinking. Akihiko treasured those quiet afternoons when Mitsuru stayed in the living room reading while he repaired his gloves or finished his ramen (trying extra hard not to slurp). It meant they were comfortable enough in each others' presence without wasted words or irreverent small talk. Part of him would be glad to get that back...the cowardly part that couldn't bring himself to tell Mitsuru what this week had made him realize.

The front door opened and Akihiko immediately went on guard...but it was just Aigis. "Good afternoon."

The baby tossed his bottle to the side and tried to peer over the arm of the couch. "Who's come home, hmm?" Mitsuru asked him.

"Aah-gss."

"Aigis! Very good, _mon petit chou_!"

"He appears to have discovered the connection between faces and names," observed Aigis, "But we do not know his name."

"Kurosawa never said anything?" asked Akihiko. He found himself trying to guess the baby's name from just looking at him – avoiding the first one that came to mind.

"Knowing him, he probably didn't ask." Mitsuru replied.

Aigis perked up. "Oh, has Officer Kurosawa returned?"

"Yes. As soon as everyone comes home, I'll make the announcement." Mitsuru was once again looking sad and guilty. Akihiko supposed she felt bad about not asking for the baby's name herself. He tried communicating to her without words that as obsessed as he was with all the irresponsible adults, he'd forgotten it, too. _We're_ all _new at this._

It took forever for the damn kids to get back to the dorm – Ken beat the juniors, and he got out later! – but when they finally did, Aigis and the seniors made quite an intimidating picture...even if Akihiko was holding an overjoyed baby.

"Now that you're all here," Mitsuru's business voice captured everyone's attention, "I have news."

"Uh oh." Junpei quipped.

"Our little guest will be leaving us this evening." Immediately, everyone began complaining. "Therefore if...if you'd like to say your farewells, now would be the time." The stumble went unnoticed as they struggled to process this information.

"Aww, I'm gonna miss him." Fuuka was the first to react. She finally seemed comfortable holding the baby. "I think having the baby around has been good for us."

"Fuu..?"

"Aww! It seems like it's been good for him, too!"

Junpei was next. "Puke on 'em a couple times for me, huh?" he said, and Akihiko noticed that Mitsuru was a little too quick to laugh at that statement.

"You really have no clue what to say to a baby, do you, Stupei?" Yukari couldn't help but scold as she took her turn. To the baby, she cooed, "I hope you remember us!"

"He'll have a lot of crazy stories to tell once he starts talking regularly," said Makoto. Even the baby seemed shocked to hear words coming from the field leader. He managed to grab a hold of Makoto's trademark forelock and tried to yank it off. But Makoto just laughed. "Ow!"

Koromaru whined and licked the baby's feet. "Koro-chan wishes the baby safe travels and hopes that his life is filled with affection," Aigis translated.

Koromaru looked to Ken next, nudging him in the leg. Even without Aigis, it was clear what he was doing.

Ken cleared his throat anxiously. "Could...could I maybe hold him?"

Well, that was unexpected!

Ken chose to sit on the couch for support as Makoto placed the baby in his lap. "It's been fun not being the smallest anymore," he admitted. "Maybe I **was** a little jealous after all."

"Aww, Ken-kun!" sighed Fuuka.

The baby had gotten tired of being passed from person to person, and started fussing. "But I'm not that jealous anymore!" Ken exclaimed. He quickly shuffled the baby over to Mitsuru in her usual chair, whose expression had become unreadable by this point.

Just as the baby was starting to nod off, there was a knock at the door.

No one wanted to move. The baby had officially become part of this ragtag, parentless pseudofamily and it felt like losing one of their own again. Aigis eventually opened the door, but her eyes had gone as flat as when they'd first found her at Yakushima.

"Good evening, Officer Kurosawa," she intoned, "we have not been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

"Aigis! You can't just say something like that to a person!" Yukari quickly scolded her. Kurosawa didn't seem too offended. "So...are the parents here?" she asked him.

"They're actually afraid to come inside, believe it or not," Kurosawa chuckled as he started to pick up the baby's belongings. "I think they're worried you'd judge them too harshly, ask too many questions. Don't worry; I've assured them that you kids have taken good care of their son. Ready to go?"

He was addressing Mitsuru, but one look at her face told Akihiko this was not going to go well, so he took the baby away from her hair and brought him outside himself. Kid sure was obsessed with Mitsuru's hair. Maybe it was soft... _don't think about that now, idiot!_

The baby began to wake up and wonder what was going on. "Hey, buddy," Akihiko said gently, "you wanna go see your mommy and daddy?" His voice broke a little, but he did his best not to tear up. The others were watching from the windows. Mitsuru might have been watching. It was like losing Shinji all over again.

"Maaa...?" The baby wasn't quite awake yet, but he saw the grumpy man from the other night and new people who were happy and sad at the same time.

Akihiko saw a slightly hysterical woman who rushed him, speaking heavily-accented Japanese through her tears. She had shoulder-length hair and smelled of perfume. _Aha_ , he realized.

(Mitsuru, by virtue of being shorter and slighter than Akihiko, hid behind him and came to the same conclusion as she teared up, too.)

The baby started to panic at first, and then he sniffed. Something jogged his memory. His face lit up and he grabbed for his mother's hair, telling her about his adventures. "Mamamama! Yablablaabdplh! Ehbpl, Akkoddbababa..."

A man with glasses joined them, babbling almost as much as the baby about how grateful they were, apologizing about all the trouble it must have caused, please excuse his wife, she's Korean, could they pay for the supplies...Akihiko barely registered any of it as he shook hands and waved off any donations, no no, they're fine, it was no trouble at all, he's a great kid, blah-blah-blah. The woman hugged him several times, and Akihiko was sure he heard Junpei laughing from within the dorm.

As they finally turned to leave, the haze lifted and Akihiko shouted, "Wait!" Everyone stopped. "Wh-what's his name?"

The baby's father smiled. "After losing our son, we decided to change his name to reflect how we were feeling." He kissed the baby's head. "His name is Hisashi."

 _Hisashi. Heh. "Always with you."_ Akihiko's smile was watery as he gave a final wave to another departing friend. "See you around, Hisashi."

"Akko!"

A choked sob behind him revealed Mitsuru. Akihiko swung around, arm outstretched, but he was just a moment too late to catch her as she ran off.

October 23rd, 2009

No one had wanted to go to Tartarus last night, and they barely spoke to each other that morning. School was mind-numbing; Akihiko didn't even remember hearing those giggly girls trying to get his attention. When it ended, he was halfway to the dorm before he realized he didn't have to get back so early anymore.

Back to wallowing in his room underneath the pillows.

Surprisingly, all the other members of SEES had gone straight home, too. They were just sitting in the living room. The TV wasn't even on. It was like a Lost party.

Fuuka noticed his arrival. "Oh, Akihiko-senpai..."

Mitsuru turned her head at that, but she didn't meet his eyes. He took his place on the couch perpendicular to her and hoped that his presence would be at least reassuring.

Suddenly, Ken broke the oppressive silence. "I miss my mom."

Everyone seemed to come back to life. "You know, I kinda miss mine, too," Junpei added, "Pretty much left her with that garbage bag of an old man...he probably isn't much company."

"My mom keeps trying to get in touch with me," admitted Yukari. "I've been putting off meeting with her because I just can't talk to her without fighting, but...maybe I should go?" The look on her face indicated that she really, really wanted someone to give her an excuse not to.

"I'll go with you," Makoto said instead. Yukari's eyes nearly popped out of her head, but she seemed to accept – Mitsuru got up at the same time, so Akihiko stopped paying attention. She either didn't notice Akihiko following behind her, or didn't much care. Probably a little of both.

"Hello? Kikuno?" Akihiko heard Mitsuru say through her door. "Is-oh, yes, I'm doing well, but...is Mother busy? Could I, perhaps, speak with her? All right...thank you, Kikuno." He chose to leave her alone and go back downstairs.

Only Ken and Koromaru were still in the living room when Akihiko got back. Ken was watching some loud, over-exaggerated sentai show that the dog was trying to ignore. "Where'd everybody go?"

"They've all gone to visit their parents. Fuuka-san thought she could convince her parents that staying in the dorm benefited her by bringing Aigis-san along," Ken explained, "I guess even Junpei-san went to talk to his mom." He turned back to his program. "I...thought about going to the shrine, but..."

 _Can't really hug your mom when she's dead._ Akihiko had often thought about his parents and what they'd think of his life now. He hoped they'd be proud of him for staying in school and fighting the good fight. They have Miki now, and Shinji...well, his parents must have him, too.

 _Could you hug mine for me?_

"Hey, Ken...did I ever tell you about the time me and Shinji almost got kicked out of the shrine for all eternity?"

"What?" Ken laughed. "No. That sounds crazy!"

"Oh, it was!" Akihiko laughed as he joined Ken on the couch. "See, we weren't even supposed to be there; they sent us to the barber because Shinji wouldn't let anybody cut that mangy hair of his-" here, Koromaru made a puzzled noise, "oh, sorry, boy, but you know it's true. He couldn't even run a comb through it! So, we were on our way there – Shinji was determined that if he had to go, he was gonna drag my ass with him – and we thought we'd take a shortcut..."

None of them saw Mitsuru watching from the stairway, letting her tears flow freely past her smile.

Not even Mitsuru heard a very faint, almost nonexistent, _"Tch."_

The End


	10. Omake - What's in a Name?

Since _Reflections_ ended on a poignant note – and since Hurricane Florence is upon us, and I may not be online much – I decided to whip up this little bonus snippet to give you something to laugh at.

I'll be working on _Shadowborne_ off-and-on, weather permitting.

This omake takes place in the middle of Chapter 5, after the baby has spoken his first real words and before Kurosawa drops the bombshell.

* * *

October 21, 2009

Dark Hour

Makoto was merciless. As one Shadow after another went down screaming, the other members of SEES could only gape at their field leader venting unknown frustrations again and again. He didn't even give anyone else a chance to fight; his many Personas meant he had every element covered.

Mitsuru and Akihiko watched their junior throw himself into battle as if he were avenging a personal slight and wondered why. Yukari and Junpei, however, seemed to be privy to this secret information and traded smirks. Even Fuuka was laughing – although she alternated with gentle pleas to Makoto to slow down, else he injure himself.

When the Dark Hour began to wane, and the field team exited the teleporter, Mitsuru simply had to ask him. "Yuki...is everything all right?"

"Fine, Senpai," Makoto said a little too quickly as he made to leave Tartarus.

"You were whaling on those Shadows like they'd stolen your last melon bread." Akihiko took the direct approach and blocked the exit. "Even **I** couldn't keep up with you! What the hell?"

Surprisingly, this actually got results. Makoto muttered something to the effect of, "...don't wanna talk about it...", and Junpei started laughing.

" **What is going on?** " And now, Mitsuru was mad, and no one was going anywhere until she got an explanation. Damn. Akihiko didn't want to think what it would be like to be stuck in Tartarus after the Dark Hour ended, and Fuuka already KNEW, so she was squirming.

Luckily, Yukari decided to speak up. "Oh my God, stop sulking! Jeez, who knew you were such a baby?" This appeared to be the magic word, and Makoto actually managed to overpower Akihiko while he was distracted, ducking under his arm and storming off. The others followed at a safe distance.

"Is Makoto-san still angry about the humorous incident that happened earlier?" Aigis asked.

"Incident?" echoed Mitsuru.

"Oh, that's right – you and Akihiko-senpai were upstairs!" Fuuka suddenly realized.

So something had happened while Akihiko and Mitsuru failed to have one of many long-overdue conversations. It was no one's fault but his own; he felt unimaginably sad all of a sudden and decided to sneak off while everyone was playing with the baby. He hadn't expected Mitsuru to follow him, having passed the baby to Aigis. In the end, they just stared at one another, making lame small talk before giving up and going back downstairs. It felt wrong talking about Shinji without Shinji around to complain about it. They left for Tartarus immediately after that, and Akihiko had been too deep in his own head to even notice how Makoto was acting.

Fuuka was still talking. "We were playing with the baby, and he was starting to talk, and..."

* * *

" _Adblba dabbda ya? Soowoo?" The baby was looking in the direction of the stairs, apparently wondering where Mitsuru went._

" _Aww, don't worry, sweetie, Mitsuru-senpai will be back soon," Yukari cooed. "What's the matter? You don't like Aigis?"_

 _Just like earlier, the baby looked toward the android holding him. "Aahgss?"_

 _Aigis actually frowned. "That is not an acceptable approximation of my name."_

" _He's only a baby!" Yukari rolled her eyes, taking the baby away from her. "Yes, that's Aigis who's moping. So it's not just Mitsuru-senpai that he listens to! This is easy!" She pointed the baby at Junpei. "Junpei? Juuuunnnpeiii?"_

" _You sound stupid! Stuuuuuupiiiidddd! " Junpei mocked her._

 _The baby appeared to be deep in thought before he gurgled,"Shooo...peeee?" Everyone cracked up laughing._

 _Even Junpei eventually chuckled. "Yep, that's me...Shoopie."_

" _Could be worse,"Makoto joked, "He could call you 'DA-da-da-DA!'" He struck a pose clearly intended to mock Junpei's "leveling up" celebration._

" _Heh-heh, I could live with that!" He took his turn holding the baby and bouncing him. "DA-da-da-DA! Junpei! DA-da-da-DA! Junpei!"_

" _Daaaa...Shoopie!"_

" _Okay, that's enough out of you," Yukari protested, "I don't want him calling me 'Yuka-tan', Junpei. I mean that!"_

" _Look who's mopin' now!" Junpei pointed out. "Chill out. I know your real name is Yukaricchi."_

" _STUPEI...!"_

 _Junpei ignored her. "The crazy lady yelling at us is_ _ **Yukari**_ _..._ _ **Yu-ka-ri**_ _is all bent out of shape."_

 _It wasn't clear whether the baby caught all of that or not, but he did pick up on the important thing. "Kaawee."_

" _He's so smart!" Fuuka beamed._

 _The next few names went smoothly. "Can you say, 'Fuuka'?"_

" _Fuu-ka."_

" _And look who it is? Ken!"_

" _Keh!"_

 _When they reached Makoto, however:_

" _Now, you know this guy – the one with all the shiny Personas. It's...Makoto!"_

 _Nothing._

" _C'mon, you can say it! Say, 'Makoto'!"_

 _The baby took a good, long look at the blue-haired, one-eyed boy standing in front of him, opened his mouth, and said..._

" _Ko-ko?"_

* * *

Akihiko laughed so loudly that it echoed through the silent, bloody night. "That's what you're pissed about?" Makoto, who had stopped by the dormant monorail, glared back at him. "He called you 'Koko'?" The others soon began laughing again. Mitsuru actually covered her mouth, but her eyes were definitely laughing.

"It's embarrassing," Makoto sighed.

"Oh, give it up! It's no worse than what the rest of us got!" Yukari wasted no time shutting him down.

"I thought it was cute," said Fuuka shyly.

"I really didn't think you'd be so offended by it," added Junpei. "I mean, nothing ever gets to you, man! And yet **this** bugs you?"

Makoto kicked a stone into a nearby blood puddle. "It sounds like a girl's name!"

"Well, there's a perfectly logical reason for that," Mitsuru spoke at last, "The name 'Makoto' itself is unisex."

Makoto shook his hair out of his face and glared. "Shut up, Soowoo." Everyone gasped, and he quickly added, "...senpai! Soowoo-senpai!"

That kept the entirety of SEES laughing all the way back to the dorm.


End file.
